Donald Trump is negotiating with Iran, and September is beginning to set the terms. Nobody in the administration is going to say that the refinery maintenance schedule is shaping this decision. Nobody needs to.
The calendar does enough work on its own to explain why Washington might now accept a deal it would have rejected only weeks ago.
President Donald J. Trump speaks to the press during a presentation of the Religious Liberty Commission Report in the Oval Office, Friday, June 26, 2026. (Official White House Photo by Joyce N. Boghosian)
President Donald J.